The instant invention relates to the monitoring of the characteristics or parameters of the tires of a vehicle, and more particularly to such monitoring of the characteristics of the tires of a vehicle when the vehicle has stopped at a vehicle depot, such as for example a gas station or a garage, or is within a predetermined distance from a specially designed display system.
As was disclosed in the aforenoted ""996 application, the operational condition or characteristics of the tires of a vehicle is of the upmost import to the safety of the driver and passengers of the vehicle. Consequently, there is a need to determine, on a real time basis, the operational characteristics of the tires. In the invention of the ""996 application, the operational characteristics of the tires of the vehicle may be gleaned by means of the cell phone or a PDA (personal digital assistant) carried by the operator. The instant invention focuses on another way in which the operational characteristics of the tires of the vehicle may be determined by the operator, or, with the permission of the operator, anyone else who is interested in the integrity of the tires of the vehicle.
In particular, the operator of a vehicle may be interested in the integrity of the tires of his automobile, or vehicle, when he has stopped at a gas station to fill up his vehicle with gas, or the tires of his vehicle with air. Given that after every fill up, a vehicle could conceivably go hundreds of miles (or kilometers) means that the operator of a vehicle, could conceivably not know the operational characteristics of the tires of his vehicle for an extended time.
If the operator of the vehicle were a practitioner of the invention described in the aforenoted incorporated by reference ""996 application, he could readily check the operational characteristics of the tires of his vehicle when he wishes, or be notified of an abnormal condition of the tires when the parameters of the tires fall below an alarm condition, either preset by him or by default. However, in those instances where the operator of a vehicle does not carry a WAP (wireless application protocol) compliant PDA device, or the appropriate web based cell phone, he could very well not know that special attention needs to be paid to the tires of his vehicle until it is too late.
To enable a driver of a vehicle to ascertain the integrity of the tires of his vehicle at the most opportune time, a depot where the vehicle is likely to stop such as for example a fuel depot or gas station, a bus depot or station, a taxi terminal or a truck terminal, is equipped with transceiver devices adaptable to receive signals from the vehicle that are representative of the integrity of the tires of the vehicle. As disclosed in the aforenoted ""996 application, the tires of the vehicle are each equipped with an integrated system that has at least one sensor, a processing unit, a memory store, and a communications link for transmitting data that represents the operational parameters of the tire, as measured by the sensor, to a transceiver that is located in proximity thereof. In the aforenoted ""996 application, the device used for receiving the transmitted signal from the tires may be a cell phone that is adaptable to operate under the Bluetooth protocol, or some other similar communications protocol. So, too, a transceiver may be provided in the vehicle itself so that signals received from the tires may be telecommunicationally relayed by the transceiver remotely to the user, possibly by way of the internet.
For the instant invention, in place of, or in addition to, the use of a cell phone as the means for informing the driver of a vehicle the operational characteristics of the tires of his vehicle, it is envisioned that a conventional vehicle depot, such as for example a gasoline station or a garage, be equipped with the appropriate transceiver mechanisms that can receive the tire parameter signals output by the tires of a vehicle that is positioned nearby. At least one display may be provided at the vehicle depot to enable the operator of the vehicle, or an attendant at the depot, to observe the operational characteristics of the tires.
The display may be provided at the gas pump, for those cases where fuel is being pumped into the vehicle. Alternatively, the display may be integrated or coupled to the handle of the conduit, or hose, that conveys the fuel from the fuel pump to the vehicle. Furthermore, instead of being provided at the gas pump proper or the gas nozzle handle, a larger display may be provided somewhere near the gas pumps of the fuel depot to enable the user to readily observe the operational characteristics of the tires of his vehicle.
The display may also be provided at the air supply at the gas station for those operators who only want to inflate the tires of their vehicles. For convenience and also to provide a permanent record, appropriate transceiver means may be provided at the cashier""s station so that the operational characteristics of the tires of an operator""s vehicle may be printed on his receipt, when the operator pays for his fuel.
A display may also be provided at the cashier""s station, as for example integrated to the cash register, so as to enable the cashier or an attendant of the vehicle depot to determine the integrity of the tires of any appropriately equipped vehicle that drives onto the fuel depot, thereby enabling the attendant at the fuel depot to forewarn an operator of an vehicle having suspect tires that potential remedial actions need to be taken for those tires. At full service stations where attendants stand ready to pump gas for the drivers, when those attendants have determined, either via direct viewing or informed by the cashier or attendant at the cashier""s station where there is a central display, that the tires of the vehicles they are pumping gas into have low air pressure, they in turn will fill up the tires of those vehicles with the appropriate air pressure.
In those instances where the gas pumps are equipped to read credit cards and print out receipts, the operational characteristics of the tires may be printed out directly on the receipts output from those gas pumps, without the operator having to go to the cashier""s station or kiosk.
To provide privacy to an operator, the communications system in the vehicle is provisioned with a switch that, when turned to the deactivate mode, prevents the system from transmitting any data to the transceivers at the vehicle depot, or anywhere else. On the other hand, by intentionally activating the switch, the operator can decide on if and when he wants to find out the operational characteristics of the tires on his vehicle.
In place of a particular vehicle depot, the present invention may also be utilized for displays that may be posted along a road or highway, so as to enable a passing motorist to find out, if he wishes, the operational characteristics of the tires on his vehicle.
A main objective of the present invention is therefore to enable an operator of a vehicle to ascertain at a depot where he regularly parks his vehicle, or drives his vehicle to, to monitor the integrity of the tires of his vehicle.
Another objective is to enable a driver to determine the operational characteristics of the tires on his vehicle as he drives his vehicle along a road.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide the means for an operator, or anyone who is interested in the integrity of the tires driven by the operator, to be informed of the operational characteristics of the tires during a time when the operator is most prone to stop and pay particular attention to his vehicle.
Still another objective of the present invention is to enable the operator of a vehicle, or anyone who is interested in the integrity of the tires of his vehicle, to determine the operational characteristics of the tires when the vehicle is stopped at a gas station for refueling, or a garage or other vehicle depot for inspection or maintenance/repair.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a passive system for the operator of the vehicle to determine the integrity of the tires of his vehicle, only when the system is intentionally activated by the operator of the vehicle.